tour2005stevestrip

Steve's Place Another Time

Another Place

A trip to London to see The Robin Trower Band
(Pictures by Neil Calandra and Steve Shail)

   It started for me really in the summer of 2004. This band, one of the best live line ups I have ever heard with Robin, had, after almost fifteen years, actually reunited. The reunion of sorts was very out of character from RT who had, almost painstakingly, gone through his career not looking back. But through a variety of circumstances they did reunite, and record a great cd. Now it had been two years since the release and they still were not out on the road..... anywhere! Venting a bit of frustration over the fact that Robin, after releasing a great cd to much acclaim from the masses, was not touring and time was passing by.   Who knows why the delay. Maybe Robin didn't want to tour? Unlikely, as all we had been hearing was that while no tour was planned some had been tried but always seemed to fall through.   Very frustrating given that the possibility of the four current members of the RTB touring, seemed to be getting further and further away from actually ever happening. The advantage to having a web site is that I can post those frustrations. (If you care to read it here)
I had had numerous conversations with a few of the band members and I think I was starting to piss them off with my constant barrage of questions about touring. I have been very fortunate to get to know the members of this group and they have all heard me say at one time or another that I wished I could have caught this line up live.
But as we know, touring, or the arranging of a tour has to be very complex in its planning. I would also think the up front costs must be paramount in any endeavour of this kind. Still though, to people like myself, it was frustrating not to to get to hear this recently reunited line up, in a live setting.   The fact that Robin has never done a proper dvd recording gave some urgency that the possibility of never getting this man recorded for prosperity was also becoming a reality. And to me, what better line up to present the library of Robin Trower to the public on a DVD. The possibilities were endless.
I was frustrated as a fan, but also as a businessman, I just didn't understand why this band could not tour.
Things can change so fast. Some things happened.
Pete, in our interview had hinted at something.... but.... this was still just speculation and talk... I had read it before that there was a possible tour coming up.
Then it happened.... I heard the news that I never thought I would hear .... a tour was being arranged, WITH the LOOT band! And this was now not just speculation or wishful thinking. It was happening.
A new manager (Alan Robinson) had taken on the RTB in the Uk and Europe and booked a multi city tour for Germany and England. Fantastic news. No one was happier than I was. These were always the musicians I personally wanted to see back together and now it was going to happen. The fact that it was in the UK and Germany and that I would never get to see it didn't really bother me. I knew I would hear all about it, maybe see a few videos and hopefully a dvd. I was happy because these guys should be playing! I knew the people who live over there would come out to see Robin again, even after an absence of nearly twenty years. I get a lot of mail from the UK and knew the fan base would be there even after such a long absence.
I have found over the years of doing this site that the people who are into this music are lifers. The songs found their way into their lives and it was always something special to them. I had no doubt that they would be there to see Robin perform en masse.
Then some more news. Living Out Of Time was going to be re-mixed and re-released in time for the new shows! A remix? Another very unusual step.
   Then the news started to come out from the UK management.   I got an email from Alan ( thanks Dave) with all the tour date information which was a complete and pleasant surprise.
While all this was going on, Davey and I had been talking about the tour and he kept saying I should go over to see them. I had just been finishing up the interview with Pete and he too was very excited about the upcoming tour and encouraging me to come over to see them. Dave even said if I made it over he would buy me a beer! How could I refuse?
In truth , even as I was telling them that it would be great to come over to see them, I was pretty sure that I would not be able to go over for a number of reasons.
I was in a bind, this band that I have always wanted to get back together finally does, I am lucky enough to be getting the support from the band and management, my family and friends are also all saying that I should go, but I was hung up on the extravagance of treating myself going to England for a week while my wife and daughter stay home..... just to see a band!!
But friends and family kept at it so that after a couple of weeks I actually started a file called My London Trip. On it was a "odds of going" figure. It started at 10% chance of going / 90% chance of not.
Lots of investigating airfares and hotels made it look even more difficult as everything seemed extremely expensive in London. But we kept checking things out, I kept coming up with reasons why I shouldn't go and everyone else kept coming up with reasons why I should.
Meanwhile, Dave B. had been remixing Loot and one day I came home, turned on my computer and here is a note saying here are a couple of the new mixes... what do you think? What a shocker that was!!
As you might have read in the tour section the new mix was very impressive. The
original definitely has a sound, almost old, while the new one is much more dynamic in its sound. I enjoy both quite honestly. What was great was to actually hear two versions of the songs.
I was still trying to be practical though, it was a lot of money for only a week of fun. My wife kept saying "You will be going, I just know it" but I was still fighting the temptation.
I finally decided to check a travel agent out just to get the true story on it and discovered that the flight was going to be much less than when I had checked it out myself. The odds moved up slightly. 50/50 now.
I had a bit of a chat with Dave, Davey and Pete about the upcoming tour and posted most of the conversation :o) Here
Then I got a call from Trower photographer Neil Calandra (he took the liner photo on the original LOOT cd and has contributed lots of pictures to this site) and his wife Amanda, had decided to make the trip, and he started saying I should go also and suggested that I could ride around with them, stay in the same hotel, it would be fun. This was encouraging.
I had also talked to Alan Robinson and mentioned I may come out but the London show (one of the shows I defiantly wanted to go to) had already been sold out. He told me if I came out getting into any of the shows would not be a problem.... not to worry. I have to say here that Alan definitely made making the decision to go a lot easier. A couple of days after this conversation a package arrived from Alan with a tour t shirt and the new remixed LOOT cd. I was completely surprised by this kind gesture. (Thanks again Alan)
This trip was getting more plausible, could I actually go? I would be able to see and meet some good friends, watch them perform, I have access to the shows and hotels, a ride, everything just seemed to say go. The odds kept moving up.
Finally a few weeks before the dates I had been thinking could work, the decision had
to be made. So we made it ......... I was going to England!!
   Besides the travelling preparations I was also faced with the task of figuring out exactly which shows would allow me the most show time plus ease of transportation. After much though, many many phone calls, and a few other details I ended up deciding that the Gloucester, London and South Shields shows would give me the best time based on who I could possibly meet up with.
With a lot of help from Alan and Matt at the management offices, who kindly kept sending information about hotels etc., things were looking good. I had decided the first two nights I would stay at the same place the Calandras were staying so we could meet up and share a ride out to Gloucester which was about 100 miles from London.
Davey's girlfriend Pam and I had also been talking and she was going to fly over and surprise Davey. She had also arranged for Davey's sister Joy to meet her in London for the show. I must have talked to Davey ten times but could not say anything about it. ... We had figured on her just showing up.
Unfortunately a couple of weeks before the trip they had some personal family matters that made the trip being a surprise not possible.
I had all my hotels booked and then the week before I was going Davey and Pete got hold of me and said that I should stay with them at Pete's place after the London show and then drive up with them to South Shields.
I considered it, having already paid for my hotels, but before I changed my plans their plans got changed and they had to stay in London after the show instead of going home.
Well obviously everything finally got arranged so ...... on to the trip...........

April 12 : Left Saskatoon for Calgary
The trip was arranged so that it was better for me to go from Calgary, a beautiful city near the Rocky Mountains where I had lived before for a number of years. My good friend Bev put me up at her new home. I hadn't seen Bev for a few years so it was great to visit and ya, we sat up that night till the wee hours talking and having a good time. I would leave the next evening.
April 13 : Calgary to London
The flight was long (9 hours) and boring. I left at night and would arrive in London mid morning and so it was pretty uneventful. I slept a good portion of it. I hope I didn't snore.
April 14 Arrive in London
The flight arrived in London about 11:00. AM. It was very strange to come off a
plane and walk into security people carrying machine guns around the airport.
It took me a bit to find it but I finally got to the place where I got the shuttle to the hotel. It was a great ride in. I kept saying to myself how strange it was to actually be in London!! I never thought I would ever be here. The sites already were overwhelming and you just knew you were in a very different city.
Once I got into the hotel I checked in and asked if the Calandras had checked in yet but was told they hadn't. I thought they were getting in later on in the afternoon so I decided to walk around Notting Hill and check the sites and sounds of the area out. The walk to the main street where all the shops was a couple of blocks and it was amazing. The people and the traffic and the architecture!!! Just inspiring to walk around and see some of the buildings, the pubs etc. Again very different from where I live. The people were very friendly though especially when it came to explaining the currency difference. :o)

The Hyde Park West Hotel After a bit of browsing through some of the numerous shops I went back to the hotel to make a few calls. I talked to Alan again just to confirm everything was ok at the shows, then talked to Davey and Pete who were just on their way to the show in Falmouth. I told them I would see them tomorrow.
I went and checked about Neil and Amanda again and they still hadn't arrived. I went out again a few times during the rest of the day, taking different roads to see different places, all very interesting. Each time I came back to the hotel the Calandras had still not checked in.
I also called Davey's girlfriend Pam to make sure she made it in. She had and I mentioned to her that she could ride to Gloucester with Neil, Amanda and me. She wasn't sure if she was going to go to it or wait till the next night in London. We would talk about it the next day to see how it was going.
By about 10:00 pm I was starting to worry about weather Neil had had a problem and couldn't make it. A bit of panic set in but I would have to figure it all out in the morning as it was getting late and I knew tomorrow was going to be a great day.

April 15 Gloucester .... Guildhall

I woke up and went downstairs and had breakfast. I gave Pam a call to see how she was doing . When I had talked to Davey the day before he was not sure weather she would come to the Gloucester show but really wanted her to. He said "Convince her to come with you" so when I called I gave it my best sales pitch to come out. She agreed it would be fun so I told her I would confirm times later.
I checked again at the front desk to see if the Calandras had checked in and the manager said "Does your friend have a pony-tail?" I said, " Well he is a friend but we have never met so I really can't say" He told me this guy, who could be the one I was looking for, just went outside. I went out the front door and this guy looked up at me and I knew it was Neil. We shook hands and talked for quite a while about the upcoming day and what we were going to do. What a great guy! We were both so hyped about the upcoming shows.
I went back in and phoned Pam to say we would pick her up but she said she would catch a cab over to our hotel to make it easier. I agreed since we really did not know our way around London. Neil and I talked for a bit more and then said we would meet up in a bit so I went back to my room.
I was still in my room and the phone rang saying someone was out in the lobby for me. I was quite excited as Pam and I have talked numerous times on the phone but had never met in person. I went out to the lobby and we greeted each other with a big hug!
We decided to go outside for some fresh air and while we were standing on the steps of the hotel, I looked down the street to show Pam the car we were going to be in and I noticed something odd about the front tire. It looked like something was laying up against it. I went down a bit closer and realized that the car had been "booted" so it could not be moved until the authorities came and cleared it. The parking instructions are very confusing and Neil had put the car in a spot not allowed for non-residents. Trust me when I say even the police told us on one occasion that they didn't understand the parking rules around our area either.
Well I am freaking out as we are supposed to get going within the hour for the long drive out to Gloucester and now we will have to wait for the "man" to unlock it! I phoned Neil and give him the bad news and he is none too happy.
He and Amanda came down and so we were introduced. It's really a good thing that Amanda was with us. Speaking for myself, given the situation, the location and the driving involved I would have likely ended up dead or in Scotland! She was the one who kept both Neil and I from going off the deep end on numerous occasions!
Anyway, Neil makes the call to the authorities and they say it could be within the hour so we decide to walk down the block for a coffee (Starbucks are all over the place in London) to wait for the truck. We are all thinking that we hope it doesn't take hours to get someone out here as we would miss the sound check.
We are back quickly in hopes that we got lucky and sure enough the car is unbooted and we are set to go. Amanda is the driver, Neil the navigator, Pam and I are in the back as support! Armed with lots of maps and Mapquest printouts, we head off for Gloucester.

                                               Amanda and Neil                                             Me and Pam
                                                                                                (Davey... we didn't drive the whole way like this honest)
                                                                                                                                  :o)

A beautiful drive, we really only get lost once so we did fairly well. The road system in this country is wild. One minor little scare but we won't talk about that! Suffice it to say we got there in one piece thanks to Amandas expertise behind the wheel and a number of stops to ask directions!
Once in the city of Gloucester we managed to find our way to the closest place to park as the venue was in an area where vehicles were not allowed to travel or park.
A short walk up and we found ourselves at the doors of Guildhall.
We knew that the sound checks would start around 3:30 or so and when we walked into the place the crew were starting to set everything up. The guys had not arrived yet so I went up to the stage and introduced myself to Laurie Brace, road manager, he takes care of the house sound systems (and who Davey said to me was the best sound person he had ever had) and Steve Russell Stage manager who takes care of the equipment and Robin.

Steve Russell & Laurie Brace Alan (Robinson) had mentioned to them that I would be coming to the shows etc. so they knew who I was. Very friendly guys, we chatted a bit and I got up on the stage to check out some of the equipment.

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You can check out Robin's equipment here

Steve was just pulling Robins Strat out of the case and I sort of looked at it and thought to myself.....stop, don't grab that and run out of the building, you will never get away with it!
After a short time the doors opened up and in walk the guys. Now Davey was not sure weather Pam was going to come out with us to this show but I think I bugged her enough that she really didn't have a choice. Davey had not seen Pam for a few months since he has been away touring and she was sitting right as you come in the door so he was very happy to see her there. Behind him Pete and Dave followed. Robin was coming later.
After a couple of minutes Davey looked over and saw me and I said "Hey old man!" (something I have been calling Davey for years) and he came over and we gave each other a hug. I have known Davey for almost five years, we have become good friends and this was the first time we had actually met face to face.

Then Pete saw me and came over and then Dave. It was amazing! It was like seeing old school friends again after years and years. We chatted for a bit and I introduced them to Amanda and Neil. Pete poured me a cup of tea but being the joker that he is put about five bags of sugar in it then gave it too me. Note to Pete.... you have to take the sugar out of the bags first. Too much paper in the tea!! Pete is an extremely funny guy!
Even though I am friends with the guys I have to say that it was a very special moment to just be in the same room with them and to have them treat me like an old mate was just indescribable. To them we are friends, but even now I still slip back and look at them sometimes as this group of musicians who have had such an impact on my life.
Pete went up to start doing the sound check and so I went back up on the stage to get a few pictures. And of course Neil had his camera at the ready to help me with some moments.

I went back down to the floor and Davey and I were at the back chatting when Robin came in. He went over to the stage and was talking to Steve and then basically went up on stage and started warming up.
Robin started running through some riffs, getting the sound the way he wants it.
Davey went up and after a few level tests from each they they went into a few songs. It was actually funny standing there as I was videoing some of it. Here we are, a private show from the Trower Band, it was spectacular!

...

They did Another Time, Another Place and then Please Tell Me. The lighting people were getting their lights happening so we were really getting the whole effect of what was to be expected later that night.

After Please Tell Me, Steve walked up front and asked the band "Everybody happy?' and they all said yes the sound was good and that was it.
We were standing on the left side of the hall and Robin came down off the stage and saw me. He walked over and said "Hey Steve, how are you?" Over the last couple of years our families have connected and I was actually wondering how we would greet each other because of that. We shook hands and talked for a while about some mutual acquaintances, family and the tour etc. He told me that a couple of people that had planned on being there could not make it. I really wished we could have hooked up. It would have been a fun time . After a bit I asked him to come over and meet Neil and Amanda. We all talked for a bit and then Robin said he was going to go back to the hotel to relax before the show.
It was about this time when we were trying to figure out what we were going to do until the show. One of the guys at the venue suggested we go just down the block to a great old pub called the New Inn. It was apparently built in the 14th century.
So Davey, Dave, Pete, Neil, Amanda, Pam, the guy who was doing the merchandise ( I cannot remember his name at the moment) and I all went down together for a beer. It was great just sitting there talking to them all. We talked about band stuff, songs, how the tour was going, that sort of thing. Lots of jokes and laughing. Dave and I got talking about the George Harrison Memorial show (for which he recently won an award after the cd went platinum for the 7th time) and he was saying that that show was one of the biggest moments in his playing career. It was great the way he expressed so much fan like enthusiasm when talking about playing at that show with all the people who were involved. Great conversations with a great bunch of people. It was so much fun just talking , telling a few jokes and sharing a few laughs.

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...

After the pub thing we walked around a bit with one of the guys from the hall (Alan Jones was his name, and a very friendly guy) and he took us down to show us a place of interest. Gloucester was built on top of Roman ruins. In the middle of the street is this large glass dome structure and inside it you can see some of the ruins. Really fascinating stuff. After that we went back to the venue and hung out for a bit. Great opportunity to get a couple of the tour posters as the girl at the front desk happen to have a couple of extras.
The two times I have been in a position to see Robin I have been fortunate enough to be sort of in with the band during the sound checks etc. and I found that getting to know the people who are working the venue to be an asset as it helps when you want to move around the facility later on. I had been chatting to the security guy at the back of the hall and also as the bar was there, the head bartender. He was a really nice guy named Steve, who funny enough, as we got talking, had been saying he and his family were planning a trip to Canada and were stuck on which place to go. It was a choice between two cities I just happened to have lived in so I gave him my opinion of where I think he would enjoy it the most given what they wanted to do while they were there. After we finished talking he came up to me and said thanks for helping him make the decision. I think he even called his wife to tell her. I mentioned to him that I wanted to get up into the restricted area in the back balcony to take some shots and do a bit of videoing. This was no problem when the time came.
The crowds were starting to line up early and everyone was getting everything ready for the show. The merchandise table was set up outside the entrance and I was standing out there when a gentleman came up and introduced himself as Alan Howard. Those who frequent this site are familiar with Alan as a great contributor to the tour reviews posted here and also for the great Trower web site he has started up in the UK. Alan and I had talked prior to my coming out and I knew he would be at the show so I was glad we got to hook up. Thanks again Alan for being our eyes and ears to so many of the shows that you went to. Great reviews, great pictures. I can tell you that the statement was made to me how much the guys liked to do a show and then come here and read about it.
It was amazing standing beside the table with all the merchandise as people started to come up and wanted to get the cd and T-shirts. Kids in a candy store, just a bit older!
Both Neil and I went up to the front of the stage as the crowd came in so that we could get some photos. The opening act was called "Sneaker" and they did a great job of warming up the crowd. The audience was made up of a variety of ages but I would have to say that most were in their forties and fifties although there were a number of younger ones in the crowd. Age was not a factor as far as enthusiasm.
The opening act finished and you could feel the anticipation in the room. It was comical actually as the mass of people seemed to come forward all at once. The band came out on stage from the stage right door which connected to the dressing rooms and the place went nuts! The amps were fired up, a few bass drum hits, an "Alright" from Davey into the mic and, after getting a couple of familiar smirks in our direction, they started a short intro and went right into Too Rolling Stoned. The familiarity of this song to the audience was apparent and the cheers went up from the first notes.
This was the moment I had thought about for a long time. Even though I had seen the band play at the sound check, the actual shows are where these four come alive and become one unit. This band, these musicians, this is what I had always wanted to experience. After years of hearing that it could never happen .... here it was .... two feet away from me. I was definitely smiling!
It was loud! Robin loves to play loud! At the end of the song a huge screamfest occurred and people were yelling a lot and talking to Robin, who responded back to a couple of comments about being back home! I had been told that UK crowds were much more subdued than North American crowds but you could not convince me of that at that moment. The crowd was into it right from the start.
I stayed up at the front with Neil for a few songs and then decided that I would head back to get the video shots from the balcony as Neil was doing a great job of catching the front. I just about had to fight my way out of the crowd at the front as no one wanted to move an inch from the spot they secured. I finally made it to the side of the hall and went upstairs to watch some of the show from there. It was amazing!
At one point I decided to check out what was going on in the lobby so I went downstairs and made my way out the main doors. I sat down with The Merchandise man behind the table to keep out of the way of the flow of the people moving in and out of the hall.
At one point he said he had to go somewhere and got up and left me there by myself!!
I am thinking that I hope no one comes to buy something as I haven't a clue what they were selling for or even how to make change if necessary. He was out for a few minutes but finally came back. I went back into the hall and up into the balcony again as the only way to make it to within fifty feet of the stage would have been to climb on top of all the people.
Moments from the show.... look at the eyes! Talk about being into it

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What did I think of the show after waiting years to see this band live? In a few words ...
... Everything that I knew it would be! Robin was amazing, has not lost anything in the playing skills. He is still the most soulful player I have ever heard. He becomes part of the guitar and can get things from it that I have never heard anyone do. The crowd was mesmerized by his work. Always an amazing experience to witness him playing. Those who have witnessed it know what I'm talking about.
It was so great to finally see Davey singing live. He is the complete singer. Such a great voice. Pete and Dave are the best rhythm section I have ever heard. The interaction and communication that goes on with them is incredible. Dave is such an amazing bass player. You really have to see him perform to get how really gifted a player he is. Complete mastery of his skills as a musician. I watched Pete quite a lot (for a guitar player :o) and what really got to me was how fluid he plays. He seems to do it so effortlessly and yet watching and hearing the little nuances in his playing really impressed me. This band is tight and they like playing with each other. You can feel it. The calibre of talent in this line up is something that you only get to experience once in a while.
The show ends after the mandatory encore of two songs, one surprisingly enough being the instrumental Secret Place. A beautiful song and an amazing guitar song but I thought that they should have ended on a more energetic complete band song.
All in all a great show.
The band went off to the dressing room and soon the crowd started thinning out.
After everyone else was finally out of the place the guys came out and we were all standing around talking for a while and then Steve and Laurie started pulling all the equipment down and getting it ready to move.
Dave, Pete and Robin had decided to go back to the hotel they were at and Davey and Pam were sitting over by the sound board and when I walked over to them Pam held up her hand and there was something new on her hand.... an engagement ring!
I have known Pam and Davey for quite a while and this was great news. I congratulated the two of them and of course took a few pictures for the memory books.

The just engaged Davey and Pam

After a bit they decided to take off and so we started helping the guys with the equipment while Neil and Amanda went to get the car and bring it round to where the truck was loading. We had asked Steve if we could follow them back to London as we were a bit unsure as to how to actually get there. Like the great guys they are they ended up taking us into London and right to the door of our hotel. A much appreciated helping hand. I think it was close to 3:00 AM by the time we hit the hotel. I called home to let them know how it all went and I think it was around 5:00 am by the time I got to bed.
I had started thinking about the third show I had planned to attend. The South Shields show which was about a five hour drive north. I had put that show on my agenda as two friends, Ray Martin from Ireland and Brian Denniston from Glasgow, were planning on being there and it was a chance to meet two people who again, I consider friends, but have never met. Neil and Amanda were going to be leaving for home on the Monday and had planned to do some sight seeing on Sunday. I started to realize that if I went up to South Shields by the time I got back to London I would have absolutely no time to see any of the sites myself. I would have flown all this way and really only see the inside of a couple of clubs. The downside was not being able to hook up with Brian and Ray. I tossed this choice around in my head for quite a while and finally decided that I had to see London. It was just too long a trip to not see the sites.
It was a long day but a great day.

April 16 London Show ...The Mean Fiddler

Got up the next morning and went down and had breakfast.
Then we all went for a coffee at Starbucks. I told them of my decision to not go to South Shields and asked them if they would mind me tagging along with them on Sunday. They said sure! I changed my hotel bookings and let my family know of my decision. I also called Davey to let the guys know.
We had decided to take a cab to the show downtown to avoid the crowds and parking hassle. Mid afternoon we called the cab and headed to The Meanfiddler. This was my first real look at London. It was an amazing ride, past a number of great historical sites and into the heart of the city.
Once we found the place we tried to get in through the back as the front doors were locked. A painter had set up right in front of the door and a crowd had gathered to watch him work. Then Amanda noticed a sign that said access was available through the door of what we thought was a different place but as it turned out they connected up.
We went in and went downstairs to the hall that the Band was playing in.
Pete, Dave, Laurie and Steve were there getting things set up.
Pete came over and said that his son Kit was coming down to see the show. I have conversed with Kit a number of times on msn as he was a sort of go between for Pete and I when we first met. A really nice guy and a fine guitar player.
Since I had decided not to go to SS I had to bring all the stuff I had brought from home that I wanted the band to sign. I got Dave and Pete together and started an assembly line to get their signatures on the load of stuff I had. Thanks for your patience!
Robin showed up after a while and we had a number of chats as things were being set up. It was great, we were standing up on the stage talking about family and some mutual friends, the internet, song writing , really quite a variety of things.
The sound check went as usual however it was weird to hear the songs they did, Sweet Angel, Daydream and one of the new songs Close Every Door without the vocals. I got a bit of it on video.
After the sound check I mentioned to Robin about signing some stuff and he said that for sure we would get together after the show and he would take care of it. He left to go back to the hotel and Amanda, Neil and I decided we would go out and get some dinner and kill a bit of time before the show.
We went back to the venue fairly early and hung around for a while. We were given all access passes so we wouldn't get hassled and then I went around and talked to the security people just to let them know that we were taking lots of pictures and video and would be wandering around by the stage. One of the guys had said that they had been told that no videos were allowed so he got the manager of the place over and after a minute of realizing that we did know the management and the band that it would be ok.
I thought I would go see if I could find Alan the manager as we had hoped to meet up at this show.
I made my way up to the venue entrance and found the merchandise stand. I went up and asked if he knew if Alan was around yet. He said yes and that if I waited around there he would be back in a few minutes. J.J. was this guys name and we got into a great conversation. People were coming up and asking questions about the new remix and JJ was not that familiar with it and kept looking at me and saying "You tell them" so I ended up talking to all these people about the new cd! People were getting T-shirts also.
Alan soon showed up and we talked for a while about the tour etc. and as we were there this guy had come up to the table and started telling JJ about coming to see this show.
His son was I think 17 and had just received a scholarship to Berkeley. The father being so proud and as he said so happy about the scholarship money that he told his son that he could have something very special, anything he wanted. Well the kid said, "I want to go to see a Robin Trower show" and that was how they got there. Amazing.
Actually the guys were all quite surprised that people had come great distances to catch a few shows. They realized there were a few who were actually going to multiple shows. The crowds were there though and I think they were surprised.
Well the place was starting to fill up fast, I was walking around checking the crowd out as I love to watch how people are taking in the event. Mostly people my age acting like they have just found the 'gold bar in the candy wrapper' expression on their faces.
You could really feel the excitement and anticipation in the room.
I ended up figuring on two angles to take a few pictures. The first one was on the side of the stage and that way I could move up on it, behind Dave and Pete and then go through the back steps to go up and shoot a few from the upper level.
Just before the band was to come on I was talking to the security guy and I asked him if he was familiar with Trower. He said no, but he heard he was some guitar player that was big a long time ago. I asked him if he liked guitar style music, he said yes. I said to him that at the end of the show I'll talk to you again.
I decided to start the show at the side of the stage. As I was standing there waiting for the band to come out I am greeted by a "Hi, are you Steve? " It was someone I knew
who continually visits my site with contributions and stories.... Tony Cuomo. It was great to meet him and we talked about the upcoming show and how the one went the previous night. He had come down with a number of friends and was getting set to enjoy the show. Well the lights were starting to indicate that something was going to happen so Tony took off and I parked myself beside the stage to watch the band come out.

The band gets going and Too Rolling Stoned shakes the crowd with a familiar song. During the solo Davey comes over to the side where I am and puts his arm over my shoulder and tells me that Joy (his sister from Glasgow) is over on the other side and that as soon as the show is over to get to that side and we will all go back to their hotel for a beer. Then he goes and finishes the song. I caught Dave's eye a few times sitting there. One time he was playing and walked over close, smiled and then started to hold
his foot up in front of the camera

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It was pretty funny. So were Petes glances over here.

It was great to watch the kidding going on between the guys. I was videoing on the side and the solo came up and Davey started to move away from centre stage and as he was walking behind Dave he gave him a smack on the ass... they were laughing. Dave and Pete also got into a few things as did Davey. They were having as good a time as the crowd was!

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The show was great, what more can I say?
The security guy came up to me right after and said "You were right! These guys are amazing!"
As soon as the band had cleared the stage I went across it to the other side to meet up with them and also had to still get Robin to sign my stuff and I also had asked them for a band shot with me as I figured I would never get that opportunity again!
As I came off the stage I saw Pam, Amanda and Neil with two others. I was introduced to Joy (Davey's sister) and Paula (his niece). I had talked to Joy in the past over the phone and she is just a sweet sweet lady. Big hugs all around and then of course that photo opportunity came up ....

Paula, Joy, me, Pam and Amanda backstage

The band was just in front of us getting pictures taken and signing autographs. Robin had gone upstairs but then came down in a few minutes to sign some autographs. I went in behind the door and waited for him to finish. He came out and said "Ok Steve let's get that stuff signed" so we went upstairs to the dressing room where I had stored all my stuff earlier that day, and Robin signed all the things I was throwing in front of him. Dave came in and then a few minutes later Davey came up. I asked them if they could wait around as I really wanted to get a picture with all of them and so I ran downstairs to find Pete. Where is Pete? I can't find him. I asked a couple of people and they thought he was upstairs. I asked Neil to come and please take the picture. Everyone except Pete was around. I ran down one more time to see if I could find him and as I was going down the stairs there was a lovely lady standing there who looked familiar to me and as I walked towards her she said "Hi, I'm Julie Bronze". I stopped to talk for a second but I felt bad that I couldn't talk to her more but I explained I had to get these pictures done quickly as they needed the band out of the building. She was very understanding.
Well I went down to the floor then came back up. Neil took a couple of pictures of me with Robin, Dave and Davey and as we finished who walks in but Pete! Quickly we get in the poses and Neil takes probably one of my favourite pictures ever...

Ok, so with that out of the way I can relax. Neil and Davey head back downstairs and I am still getting my stuff together when Robin asks Pete how he's getting to the hotel. Pete had planned to see his son for a bit and would not be leaving right away. Dave says that he is going to get his wife and go somewhere else. I said to Robin, "Well Amanda, Neil and I are catching a cab back to the hotel to have a beer with Davey and Pete, you can grab a cab with us if you'd like."
He said "Sure, sounds great" He said he would meet us in the front.
I said my thanks and goodbyes to Dave and headed downstairs. I found Neil and Amanda and said to them "OK lets go, we are catching a cab with Robin back to the hotel". I knew that when I said that to Neil he was going to be totally shocked so I purposely said it rather matter of factly. He looked at me and said "Are you sure it's all right?" Pretty funny.
So we head outside and it is like a zoo out there. We finally flag a cab and Robin, his guitar, and the three of us pile in.
It was great just sitting talking during the ride. It was about a half hour ride and we talked about London, Ebay, life in general. He said he thought it funny that people would go to the shows and maybe get a pick or an autograph and then a week later it would be on Ebay. I told him how my collection got started with just a pick and turned into a room full of stuff. Did you know that on the BOS sticker they actually didn't use Robins hands on it? He thought that was pretty strange.
Marketing guys... gotta love em!

I know that Robin is not a person to have memorabilia but he was saying that he always wanted to find this one picture that was taken for a Marshall ad. I have seen one on ebay before so those of you who are reading this if you know anybody that has one please let me know.

We got to the hotel and we are getting out of the cab, Robin was getting out with his guitar in hand so I reached out to take it from him so he could get out. It was that moment again, the same one I had two days earlier at the sound check in Gloucester, the guitar is in my hands.... I could just run like hell ....they'd never catch me! I curbed the thought quickly and handed him back the case.
We went into the lobby and talked for a bit then Robin said he was going to retire for the night so we all said our good-byes and he left.
I looked at Neil and I think it was something like "Well how cool was that, sharing a cab with Robin Trower?" We were like groupies for a second. Amanda thought we were nuts!
Anyway a few minutes later, Davey, Pete, Laurie, Steve, Pam, Joy and Paula arrived. Before we were going to the bar I still had to get Davey signing my stuff so we sat in the lobby and got it done.

Signing away in the lobby........

After five years Davey pays me the beer he owed me.

While we are still out in the lobby, Neil and Amanda decide it is time for them to get to the hotel so they said there farewells to everyone. I decided to stick around as they all wanted to go for one more in the bar.
We all went into the bar and grabbed a table and sat around and talked and talked. It was the absolute perfect way to end the night. These were all people I have known for a long time, never met and here we are in London having a beer (or two). Unbelievable!
I ended up losing my shirt literally to Paula who just loved the Canadian emblem! It was definitely a fun time.
After a while Pete decided to hit the room so I thanked him for everything and said our good byes.
Eventually all good things must come to an end and it was getting late, I knew I had to get up early the next morning as Neil and Amanda were going to get me at 9:00 to head sight seeing, so I went and called for a cab.
About 20 minutes later, as we were sitting in the bar, the clerk came up and said my cab was here. We all got up and they walked me into the lobby. Lots of hugs all around and then Davey walked me out to the cab.
It was a sad moment as these people are very special to me and I have known them for so long, to finally get to meet and spend some time with them and it has come and gone so quickly.
I got into the cab, the driver said "So have you had a good evening?" I smiled and said "Ya, you wouldn't believe it".
I got back to the hotel and called home to relay the events of the day. Afterwards I sat up and went through all the stuff I had signed and viewed some of the pictures. I think it was about 3 or 4 by the time I got to bed.

More tour shots click here

April 17 London Tour Day
At 9:00 there was a knocking on my door and it's Neil saying we will meet you in the lobby!! I am totally zonked out but I bolt out of bed, shove myself under the shower and get ready in about 5 minutes. I was still waking up as I shuffled into the lobby. Neil and Amanda had got a good nights sleep and were all bright eyed. I asked if we could stop for a coffee (you guessed it ...Starbucks) just to wake me up.
I won't go into too many details of the day except to say that it was fantastic. We saw a lot of the sights, took hundreds of pictures, and just had fun.

Even got the locals to join in for a few shots. The one with Neil on the bike was funny as we were walking around and we spotted these two bikes. I said to Neil, who loves bikes and owns a Harley, " wouldn't it be cool if we got you on one of the bikes for a picture."
He said, " no way they would let us do that."
I said "Hey I'm Canadian, we don't know any better" So I walked up to these two and started chatting and then said listen, my friend here is a real motorcycle fanatic and it would be really cool if we could get a picture of him on your bike. They looked at each other and then said "Ya sure." So we got the shots. Neil was laughing about that for a bit.
Well it was long day and so we headed back to Nottinghill. We decided that we had to have dinner on the last night in one of the local pubs so we went down the street and after checking a few out decided on one.
afterwards we went back to the hotel and Amanda wanted to get stuff ready for the next day so Neil and I took his laptop and went into one of the main rooms of the hotel and set up the pictures he had done and watched the slide show of all the shows we saw.
We sat in there for a couple of hours I'm sure looking through them all and a bit of the video. It was a perfect way to finish the trip.

April 18 Alone Day
Bright and early there is a call and Neil says they are ready to leave. I went outside and we said our farewells. Honestly after they drove off it was a sad moment as I knew my trip was winding down now. I was on my own that day, did a lot of shopping and walking. Went to all kinds of great old shops and antique stores window shopping.

April 19 London to Calgary to Saskatoon.
The next day I got up fairly early and got to the Airport with plenty of time to allow me to walk around for a while. The trip back was long and tiring but we got to Calgary early and instead of having to wait there for a few hours I got right on a plane for Saskatoon.
I was so pumped up when I got home. Of course the next few days was me reminiscing all the tales of my trip to my family and friends.

All in all, It was quite the experience

I want to first thank my wife and daughter for being supportive and encouraging me to actually go. I know I drive you both nuts sometimes with all this stuff and I thank you for your patience and understanding. I would have never done this without your help.

Neil and Amanda, I could not have picked two nicer people to share this experience with than you two. It was such a pleasure to meet you both. It is always amazing to me when people who are really complete strangers can come together and just have a great time and share a great experience.
Amanda, without you around to keep the two of us somewhat grounded I can't imagine what would have happened. Hats off to your driving skills I would have killed us all!! And thanks for sharing your umbrella! I know the kind of stuff my wife puts up with with me and this Trower thing and I know Neil. He is one lucky guy!
Neil, you and I have so much in common with our absolutely ridiculous fascination for this band and this music (even though we do have different favourite albums) it was fun to be able to share this trip with you. We will have to do it again some day!

Davey, we have known each other for a number of years now. I always wondered weather we would actually ever meet. It had always been strange for me to call you a friend when we first hooked up because you are Davey Pattison!! That little Scot singer that impressed me when I first heard him sing. The last couple of years though we have had lots of talks and shared a lot of great conversations and stories and now instead of the singer first I see the friend. It was so great finally meeting you in person. Thank you for all your encouragement and help. And the beer .... did you really pay for it or did you get Pam too? You may still actually owe me one!

Pete, before we hooked up to do our interview, Davey and Dave always had such funny stories to tell about you when we were talking. Davey always said you were a big teddy bear. I now see where that comes from. You are the joker of the bunch, the little brother as it were. It was as if I had known you all my life the way you talked and made comments about situations and things going on around you. Thank you for all your help and encouragement and we will have to plan that lake visit one of these years!.

Dave, first and foremost I have to thank you for all the trust and support you have shown me over the last few months. I can surmise a few events that have come my way were the result of your doing or saying certain things to certain people that have helped me in my work here. You have always been able to surprise me with things and that is unusual for me. I enjoyed all of our chats. I think you must have said " I have never told anyone this story before but .... " two or three times. Thanks for coming to the pub in Gloucester and for the beer. You are a man of your word! It was a pleasure to meet you and again I wish I could have had a chance to talk more with your lovely wife.

Pam, Joy and Paula, I had such a fun time, although a short time, with you and it was great to finally meet you all. I really enjoyed the pub talks. It was like being with family. Thank you for making me feel that way.

Steve and Lauri, you guys do it all! Travelling all those thousands of kilometres, setting up equipment, tearing down equipment, and also putting up with musicians should warrant some form of hazard pay I'm sure. And on top of all that, at the end of a very long day, you took the time to help us find our way back to the hotel. Thanks for everything.

I would also like to thank Alan Robinson for helping me get to see this band playing again. Also for the support of this site and the sharing of information that made my whole experience possible. It was a pleasure to meet you. I know I can speak for the thousands of people who have gone to the shows that you have our thanks for being a part of getting this band playing.

I know Derek Sutton wasn't in the centre of things but nothing would have happened without his co-ordination. Thank you for continuing to keep this music alive for us all.

And Robin.... thank you for another great moment in my life. I enjoyed the conversations we had. The shows, the sound checks were an experience I will never forget. And thanks for picking up the cab fare! If someone had told me five years ago that I would be riding in a cab in London England with you I would have had them checked out.
Even after all the times I have listened to your music and your playing over the years you honestly seem to be getting better. I remember saying that to you after the London show. I think I said something like even at 60 you are so good... how do you do it? It didn't come out the way I wanted it to but what I meant was that I know I have slowed down a bit at 50... and then I see this 60 year old playing and performing like I just witnessed well ... I was in awe really. And you looked at me and said "Hey it's just practise". I laughed at that only because practise has very little to do with it.
You have a special gift Robin. Please continue to share it with the world.

And we will meet
Another Time
Another Place

What they liked and what they wished for
The fans thoughts